Promise You Made
by ReachingForDarkness
Summary: Born as a thief and an alchemist, Kesenai finds herself against the Elric Brothers and her rivals. Is it true once you find the person you love, you'll do anything for them? This girl is about to find out. Based on Conqueror of Shambala. Alphonse and OC


**Promise You Made**

"Hey! Get back here, kid!" I turned as the man came running after me. He and I both stopped to stare at the other as a couple bystanders glanced at us in confusion.

Neither of us said a thing until I suddenly stuck my tongue out at him. Everyone around me began to laugh at the scene because they knew I was mocking him. The man began turning a bright shade of red as I smiled teasingly.

"Sorry, old man. But I'm no kid! I am a fully grown woman!" I said before turning to run away.

He stared after me in shock as I laughed at his face. When it came to running away or stealing something, I was all over it. Most people don't expect a little thirteen year old like me to be doing the things I do like this. That's what makes it so much fun to do because the people give me shocked expressions just like the man had given me.

I was thinking about what I had stolen just now so I never saw those two boys in front of me until I ran into one.

A yelp of surprise came out of me before I fell onto my butt. The one I had run into also fell down and I glared at him as both boys stared at me in confusion.

"Watch where you're going next time!" I said to the boy while never noticing a certain old man coming up to me.

"S-Sorry!" The boy stuttered to me in a metallic tone.

I crinkled my eyes and began to say something else when a firm hand grabbed the back of my shirt tightly like a mother cat clamping her fangs down on one of her kits. My head turned to see it was the old man, but I wasn't that surprised.

"You are going to get it this time, little brat! I'll make sure of it," He growled while shaking me repeatedly with that singular hand.

I was pretty dizzy by the time he stopped, but I was still able to glare at the one boy who I had run into, as if I was blaming him for getting me into this mess. He looked away from my harsh look as the old man dragged me into an alley with that one hand.

I didn't say a word as this happened because I could easily get away if I wanted. But everything inside me was saying to wait for the right time. I was violently slammed into a cold brick wall pretty hard and that caused a slight cry of pain to come out of my mouth.

The pain was easy to ignore as the old man slapped my face a few times. This was also easy to ignore, but not as much because it was done repeatedly to me. During this time, I noticed that the two boys were watching with curious, wide eyes.

I tore my tear-filled eyes from them and the only thing I could see now was the old man, who was still slapping me. I saw that he was about to punch me this time and my eyes squeezed shut in preparation for the coming hit.

A second later, I felt the old man's grip on me disappear like it was never there. My eyes barely opened to see what had happened when they popped open to the size of gum balls. A hand that was made entirely up of rocks had hit the old man with just enough force to knock him away from me but not hurt him that much.

I felt my legs shaking a little as I slide down the wall slowly. I rested on the ground with my butt as my blood began to run cold. The two boys ran over to me and I didn't - couldn't - look away from that rocky hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard one of them ask me.

I didn't answer at first because of the shock, but when the shorter boy looked at me I snapped awake and out of the shock.

"I'll be fine, idiot. This doesn't hurt me at all," I had to smirk at that because it was true. The pain had already left me alone now. "You two, on the other hand, will not."

I pulled out a little bomb and both boys began freaking out like school girls. I did nothing but put on a smirk as the bomb went off with a short 'puff.' Dust and gas flew up around us as I laughed at the looks on their faces.

"See ya later, sucker!" I said while standing up. The fumes went away quickly to reveal two very unconscious boys on the ground.

I took a few steps towards them and my glowing violet eyes kept on the boys to make sure they were truly knocked out. When I was positive that they were out cold, I moved into action with all the quickness of a snake.

Whatever wasn't valuable or sparked interest in me I let them keep. I reached towards the shorter boy and I knew that he had something on him that I'd love. It was just one of those feelings I got like when you saw something in a store that you knew you'd love.

"Hey, is there anything worth all this effort on them?" I turned my head at the sound of that voice.

I saw two kids slightly younger than me dressed in the old man's clothes. I had to smirk at them because it was funny to see them facing me in old man clothes.

"I should hope so," My hands began searching the blonde haired boy as I spoke. "I don't want to find something useless after you two threw me around like that!"

I noticed that they were grinning like a couple of idiots before my hands touched something cold and hard. My head turned back to the unconscious boys so my eyes could see whatever it was that I was holding.

A smirk fell on my lips and the two boys noticed it. They ran over to me and they put their heads on my shoulders to stare at the object. They tried to understand what I was looking so awe-filled at. I heard both of them ask me what it was as my head turned to stare shockingly at each of them.

"It is a State Alchemist's watch. Only an alchemist of high and unusual skills receives one." I explained to them.

They seemed to understand a little of what I was trying to tell them but not much. Sighing, I ripped the watch from the chain it was clasped to before I knew what I was doing. Just knowing that I would need the watch sometime soon was all the reason I needed to take it. I looked back at the two boys that were still dressed in the old man's clothes and it caused me to smirk a bit. Of course, they either didn't notice or just flat out didn't care because they looked like they were thinking of something.

"Unusual skills…? You mean like your alchemic powers?" One asked me, seeming to understand enough of what I said to be able to ask me that question.

I suddenly glared at them for that though. Both flinched away from me because they were one of the few people that knew about my temper. I would have said something to them about the question when we heard one of the boys starting to wake up. I was the first to notice and I hastily stood.

"We'll finish this later. We need to run." I said softly, making sure that the unconscious boys couldn't hear me.

They nodded and took off without bothering to help me. I watched them leave the alley into the daylight where people veered out of their way. I crossed my arms exasperatingly as I huffed a little.

"Okay, fine. Leave the frail little thirteen year old girl to get away by her lonesome." I muttered before running off as well. The two boys behind me were conscious now and I knew it because I had heard them groaning.

I also heard one of them yelling at me to come back before I turned my body around to face them while stopping. I knew they were a bit surprised because I had listened to them, which was something I rarely ever did.

A smirk fell on my face as the boy in the tin-armor, which I had just noticed, said something to his friend. I knew what he was saying since both of their eyes were glued on the silver watch I was purposefully showing off.

"T-That's mine! Give it back!" The blonde boy demanded.

"I'll have to think about that. Give me a few days." I smirked at the angry look on his face.

I heard two different voices calling for me to hurry up after I had spoken. My concentration slipped a little as my head turned to the sunlit area behind me. The next second was a sudden blur to me. I remember hearing one boy run straight at me before I was able to notice what was going on.

My legs moved before I knew that I was doing it. I felt contact with my left foot and a metallic sound hit me. That was when I realized just exactly who this person was.

"Well, well," I purred in glee. "I never thought I'd meet the Fullmetal Alchemist here. You're a lot shorter than I thought you'd be, though."

That set him off. He began to scream something about a shrimp under a microscope as his friend ran over to us. I ran to meet the armored boy and he stopped before he or I ran into each other.

"And this must be your little brother, Alphonse Elric!" I jumped into the air to land on the boys shoulders before any of them could stop me.

He and his brother stared in shock at me before I opened my mouth to speak. I knew that there were people watching us, trying to figure out what it was that we were doing. I ignored them completely though because I was so fascinated by the boys. I smirked a bit on the wryly side while tapping the armor with one knuckle. A hollow but loud noise ruptured out of the armor to welcome me with every tap I made.

"Just as I thought," I sighed while folding one leg over the other. "You are as hollow as a turtle's shell. I didn't think it was true until now."

I noticed the blonde boy about to hit me when I jumped away once more. I then landed a few feet away with a silent sigh. They both turned to look at me as I fiddled with the pocket watch that was now in my hands again.

Both boys froze up at the sight of the watch as I held it deviously in the palm of my hands. I knew that they would freeze up like that because it just seemed like the right thing anybody would do. I closed my hands around the watch absently.

"Let's see what this watch does to my alchemy…" I muttered to myself.

I would have started using my skills, but the two boys still dressed like old men appeared beside me. I glanced at each of them to see that they were pretty nervous or scared about something. I frowned at their cowardice before looking away from the Elric brothers.

"What is it? I was just getting ready to head on out." I snapped and they flinched back from me.

That actually surprised me because no one flinched away from me like that when I asked a direct question. I didn't let it show as the boys recovered and they took a few cautious steps towards me, afraid that I'd lash out at them or something. They both leaned into a separate ear of mine before speaking.

"The Lever is attacking the fort. We came back to tell you." They whispered softly.

My eyes widened in shock and anger this time. The anger began to build up inside of me and the two boys quickly backed away from me as I looked back at the Elric brothers.

"I'll give this back the next time I see you. I've got something I need to deal with immediately." I growled while putting the pocket watch in my ebony black skirt. The wind suddenly hit us and I noticed my light brown almost blonde hair brush past my shoulders.

"Like hell you will!" The oldest brother yelled before he ran at me again.

While the boys beside me continued to back off I swung one leg up. It came in contact with a fist before I jumped away once more. My feet landed gracefully a yard or two away as a smirk full of sly tricks like a foxes touched my face.

"Sorry, but you have no say in the matter," I told them before the boys beside me ran off in different directions from the other. I did the same and the Elric brothers stared in confusion at us until they noticed that my direction was surprising:

I was heading straight towards them.

Both thought that I was going to run into them and they ducked because of the images placed in their heads. I instead flew past them without as much as a faint chuckle. I said something to them that sounded like 'idiots' before I pushed off the ground backwards. I landed even more in the alley with a grin.

A sudden burst of speed later showed the Elric boys just how fast I really was before I was a speck in the distance. They continued to stare in a shocked state until I was gone from both of their sights.

"Brother…do you know what that was all about?" Alphonse asked his brother.

"No…" his brother let a smirk of joy fill his face. "But let's go find out!"

Alphonse could do nothing but follow his big brother because he secretly wanted to see that thief once more. They both ran after my trail as each grew eager like rabbits to see me despite what they were thinking.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

I ran with a mission in my eyes as I passed blurs of people that happened to be in my way. The two boys that had told me what was going on followed me with ease as my eyes glanced at both of them.

"This time," I spoke dryly with no emotion except for malice in my words. "The Lever will not get away from me without being severely wounded."

We three turned to come face-to-face with a darker than night alley that seemed to drag on forever, when in reality it was only a few full-size humans long. Even from a distance, you could hear the sounds of a skirmish going on deep in its depths. That would bother any sane human, but not me.

Excitement was drilling itself into me like a jackhammer before the screams of terror reached my sharp hearing ears. As quickly as the excitement touched me, dread and fear replaced it. The boys saw it in my eyes before they ran off to help our group that we knew was in trouble.

_Don't freeze up now, _my heart told me.

A shake of my head brought me back into the present before I too joined the fray. As I ran to the end of the alley, my hands took out two black gloves with the alchemist circle embedded in each of them.

I promised myself that no one of my team was going to die today and I could feel the spark of determination drive itself into me. I continued to run as I rubbed my hands together viciously.

Sparks immediately began to take form around my hands until I reached the end of the alley. No one noticed me jump into the battle until my hands hit the pavement with a very loud slap. Everyone stopped fighting when the sound of crackling thunder was heard.

"No one from The Lever is going to escape unscathed today!" I said with a smirk before lighting burst out of the ground around me.

Many people screamed in fright and they tried to run from the dangerous electric bolts. A few people from my team stopped them with a smirk because they knew I wouldn't hurt anyone that was on my side. Everyone turned to look at me as the lightning began to course through my hair before it suddenly turned into a beautiful blonde color from the lightning. I was used to this kind of thing because my hair always did this.

I said nothing as my lightning began striking everyone from The Lever in different places each time. No one from my group was hurt in the slightest as each person I struck fell to the ground paralyzed.

When all from The Lever were down, my lightning disappeared slowly. My hair returned to its light brownish yellow state as I stood up. The two boys ran over to me to see if I was alright when I began yawning like nothing had even happened.

"So," I started. "Who is ready for some dinner and sleep?"

Almost everyone cheered at that and I smirked a little. Before we started to leave though, we began to see what the enemies had on them. A few kids found some money while others found weapons that we could use. After that, we all walked away from the mess I had made.

None of us noticed two figures that hid in the shadows until we were long gone. One was shaking so violently that they were making noises until the others stopped them.

"Did you see that, Brother? She used alchemy!"

"Shhh! I saw what you saw, idiot. I saw her use only her hands to create lighting…" The elder brother said nothing more after that because he noticed the night had crept up on them like a lion stalking its prey.

"Let's go see if we can't get my pocket watch back, Al." He finally said.

His brother nodded and they were after my trail once more. They said nothing to each other as voices began to come to life, though bodies were not seen at the moment.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

I closed my tired eyes without thinking about it. My legs were actually sore today, and I struggled to find out why. Then I remembered the Elric brothers from this morning. A smirk fell on my face at that because I knew my legs were sore from them. I then promised myself to pay them back for this dearly.

"Kesenai!" A voice called and my eyes opened to see it was one of the younger boys, probably around ten. He grinned at my tired face and I knew what he was going to ask me, causing me to sigh a little.

"Will you sing a song for us?" He asked.

A small smile spread itself on my face as every other ten year old looked at me. Everyone else was silently praying that I would say yes to singing because they longed to hear my voice desperately. Tired laughter soon came out of my mouth as everyone continued to plead me with their eyes.

"Heh…you guys never cease to amaze me at all." I wiped the tears from my face before I continued. "Okay, what song do you want?"

They all smirked a little too fox-like at me, signaling to me about what song they wanted me to sing. The answer soon came to me from thousands of different mouths:

"Kesenai Tsumi!"

A knowing smile fell on my face and the groups of both teens and children silenced themselves with no words. The only thing left to be heard was the crackle of fire and the breathing of everyone around me. I took a deep breath and no one said a word to me as it was released in song.

_With you always in my sight_

_I can manage to draw breath,_

_And for me, that ought to be enough in itself and yet…_

_All little old me ever does,_

_Is repeat the same old mistakes-_

I was cut off by two boys who were screaming for help.

My song faded away as everyone became alert and focused like dogs that heard something they didn't like. I waited patiently for those two boys to come into the fires light until they finally did. I saw the fear of something in their eyes and I stared at them vacantly.

"So…your name is Kesenai, huh?" I heard in the darkness while my eyes squinted slightly.

"In a way, yes. Now release those two boys before I really lose my temper, Alphonse." I growled.

The kids around me seemed a bit nervous at the demonic look in my eyes that only they noticed. All of them stood with no words and the elder ones made them take several steps behind me to hide.

"Not until I get that watch back from you!" I heard and it caused a smirk to appear on my lips.

"Then I won't give it back without a fight, pipsqueak." I teased and the blonde boy stepped into the fires light.

He seemed angry at my comment and I knew nothing good was going to come from this now.

"Then I'll fight you for it!" He said and before he moved I had already vanished from sight.

The only way that he knew I was still here was because the fire flickered like someone had walked passed it. A second later, Alphonse began screaming for his brother to help him. The sounds of metal hitting the ground were heard before the two boys ran towards the rest of my group. They seemed to know what I was doing as the screams of desperation continued.

"Ohh, that's what keeps you alive, is it?" My voice made the air feel cold, even if you were by the fire.

"Damn it," the elder cursed as he clapped his hands together loudly. "Leave Al alone!"

I giggled in a maniacal way before the sound of lightning was heard. The sparks that were coming off of my hands appeared in the darkness as everyone but the Elric brothers moved away from the fire hastily. They knew what I was going to do, and they were frightened for themselves because of it.

"You wanted to fight me, didn't you?" I asked before jumping off of Alphonse.

I landed in front of the Fullmetal Alchemist and he leaned back as I leaned forward into his face. His brother fell to the ground from the force I had used to push off of him. I didn't really notice as a smirk appeared on my lips. I knew that he wanted to say yes to me so I didn't let him say a word.

"Then beat me and you can have this watch back," I jumped back once more and I landed on top of Alphonse again. "Unless you want to tell John and his brother that you're sorry. Then I'll give it back and you both can rest here for the night."

The Elric brothers seemed actually shocked at what I said and my group slowly crept out of the darkness. They knew my anger was completely gone like a rush of water for now. Everyone from my group knew about my temper that was a little on the short-side, except for the two brothers.

They silently discussed my choices and both of them seemed to come to a decision. The oldest brother looked at me with a confident smirk and I knew that he was going to tell me their answer.

"As long as you don't do anything to us we'll stay here." Fullmetal told me.

"Then apologize to the two brothers." I told him.

A frown on his face that suddenly appeared told me that he didn't like that idea one bit. A cold look from my own eyes told him to do it now or else. I got off Alphonse and helped him stand with a grin on my face. A few seconds afterwards, both of the Elric brothers were saying that they were sorry for taking those two brothers.

When they were done, everyone was by the fire once again. I sat down on a brown box and a few of the younger children swarmed at my feet like piranhas. Thanks to the fight, my eyes weren't getting droopy and my body wasn't sore at the moment.

"Can you sing the song again, Kesenai?" They began to plead once more.

I had known they would ask me to sing again, but I wasn't into it anymore. When the children realized it, a few of them turned to glare daggers at the Elric brothers. I knew instantly that they blamed those two boys for me not singing and it caused me to smirk vacantly. I then took a silent, deep breath before letting it out.

_Ready, steady, can't hold me back,_

_Ready, steady, give me good luck,_

_Ready, steady, never look back._

_Let's get started ready, steady, go!_

All the children and teenagers turned at the sound of my voice to reveal awe-struck faces. I didn't notice as I took another breath.

_The landscape blows on by me,_

_As I roll my way forward,_

_And even if things get desperate,_

_I won't lose sight of the goal now!_

_You can take those unreliable maps_

_And just burn them up!_

Everyone's eyes were glued to me now, even the Elric brothers! Pride swelled inside of me as I continued onward.

_I'm going to take these hidden truths,_

_And snatch them in the palm of my hand!_

_Delirious! (Speedily!)_

_I've broken through this far,_

_My heart beating so loud and hard_

_It feels like it's about to burst!_

_Your voice echoes,_

_As you call out to me,_

_But I just don't have the time to stop where I am!_

_Ready, steady, go!_

_Oh please…trust me!_

I almost never noticed that Alphonse and his brother staring at me in a trance-like way because of my voice. A smile full of pride held my lips tightly together as a few of the ten year olds climbed onto my lap. The younger children had fallen asleep to the sound of my voice-like I knew they would- so I didn't bother to see if they would do the same to me. As I stared at the ten year olds, I saw that they wanted me to sing another song. Before I could even talk in the air to tell them my answer, the Elric brothers began to ask questions.

"Why do you live out here in this alley?" Alphonse asked, making me chuckle.

"If you haven't noticed, all of us are thieves with no parents to take care of us." A teenager told them. The brothers looked at me with confusion and I thought it was funny. We had been fighting not very long ago, and now we were acting as if we were good friends.

"We search the streets for new kids to bring into our group," I looked up at the dark sky to be welcomed by several stars. "We do that to get to the kids before The Lever try to take them." A couple of the kids began to growl humanly when I spoke of that group.

I had to smirk wryly because I had known the children would do that. The brothers stared at me with even more questions and I had to roll my eyes in the laughter that I would not voice.

"The Lever is another group of thieves that split from us a few weeks back. We've been at a war with them since." I explained.

"That was around the same time we found you, Kesenai? Right?" A child asked.

I glanced at the group of children in my lap and at my feet before nodding curtly. The child who had asked me that smiled a little like a young one being praised by their mother. I felt relief pour into me like a faucet at her smile. It was so hard for all of us to be able to actually smile like she did. I may not have been the oldest in the group, but they considered me as a mother and leader. A few of the other ten year olds crawled over to the Elric brothers and I knew they were going to tell them something so my mouth stayed shut.

"It was really funny how we found her," a teenager standing beside me said as I let my body lean against the brick wall behind me. "She was in the town, singing Kesenai Tsumi before we found out she was also a thief and an orphan," one of the other teenagers chuckled at a silly memory before the other continued.

"Little did any of us realize that she was an alchemist until some alchemist soldiers themselves came down this alley. They were going on about grabbing all of us and take us to new homes to live in. I don't think that was going to work well for any of us."

I chuckled at the old memory. It was so vivid in my head that I thought I was back in the throng of the day I met everyone here.

**-Flash**

* * *

><p><strong>-Back<strong>

"Kesenai, wake up!" I moaned a little in annoyance at the voice over my ear.

"Not now…just a bit longer please…" I whispered, earning a snicker from the boys above me.

"Want me to get the boss so she can wake you up then?"

"I think she'd be very excited to do something like that. None of us have had anything to do for the past week now."

My eyes popped open as if someone had hit me over the head with a hammer before my body jumped up the same way. The boys that had waked me broke into laughter at my face before I frowned a little at them. They continued laughing until one of the younger kids threw a soggy shoe at them. It was my turn to laugh then, but no one noticed.

"Anyway, let's see if there are any other children out on the streets." One of the boys told me and I nodded excitedly.

They led me away from the other children and his brother after that. Just when we were about to leave the alley where we were living, men clothed in dark blue uniforms appeared and stopped us from leaving. The other kids that were awake noticed the blockade and a few others ran off to warn the leader. The rest of us stayed where we were and I knew something was wrong. In the few days I had known this group, I knew that this was an unusual thing for them.

"Do not move or else we will shoot!" The one in the middle said to us and I knew instantly that he was in charge of this little group. "All of you are to come with us so we may take you to a new home."

Gasps came out of a few of us as the boy who stood by my left side cursed under his breath. I knew that he was searching for a way to buy time so my mouth stayed closed. But the leader saw what was going on and he pointed a small gun at me.

"Make one wrong move and I'll blow her head off!" He threatened and I knew that the leader wasn't kidding even in the slightest. It was just a feeling I got, but a feeling was a feeling. And I trusted my feelings more than any one human.

I looked up at my friend with fear in my eyes because of what I knew. He could tell that I was truly frightened of this man, but I knew that he wasn't going to comfort me. If I was living with this group of orphans, you had to learn to fend for yourself and don't show comfort or support to anyone else because there was none to give. It may seem awful to some people, but that was the way we lived here. But we had it more rough than orphans because not only were we one, we were also thieves. And if you are both of those things you have to survive with no one's help, or die weakly. I closed my scared eyes and turned to face my friend fully.

"Go help find the leader," I ordered him softly. "I'll keep these men busy."

"And how will you do that, Kesenai? I know you're no State Alchemist. They won't listen to you." I smirked at the silliness of that.

"Leave all of that to me." I reached into my back pants pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves that I put over my hands.

Before my friend could object or ask what I was doing, I cast my fears into the very back of my mind. I then ran at the uniformed people. Everyone was caught by surprise so I had the upper hand.

My hands began rubbing together before a soldier began to fire at me. Sparks began to fly from my hands and the man's weapon before I jumped high into the air. He stared in shock as I landed on his gun.

"Sorry but you have to go through me before anybody else," I put one hand on the man's face with a satanic grin on my own. "And that'll be hard."

The next things that happened went by with all the swiftness of a snake. Most of the soldiers screamed bloody murder until their lungs ran dry. They kept screaming long before I was done fighting them.

**-End**

* * *

><p><strong>-Flashback<strong>

"When the leader came, she was so surprised that a little twelve year old did all that damage." I heard and a frown crossed my lips.

"I'm thirteen now; my birthday was last weekend," I looked at the Elric brothers with a soft sigh. "Not many liked me after that though. The Lever was then created for that reason." A few looked down at that. Some of their siblings were on the other side, so I knew why they did that.

"Our leader was one of them that left. Kesenai took the role of leader the day The Lever was created." Someone said.

"So who's the leader of The Lever?" Alphonse asked.

"Karu…She was our leader until I came along. The two of us fight whenever we see each other so my team is usually around me all day long." I told them.

I looked back up at the sky to see it was starting to get light out. Morning was on its way like the wind. My body wasn't the slightest bit tired so I stood with a grunt and a stretch of my arms.

"You two better get some sleep now. Dawn is coming and I doubt you two want to get caught up in what will happen today." I told them.

"What do you mean?" Alphonse questioned, earning a smirk from all of us.

"The Lever is going to come down into this alley after that silly stunt I pulled. Anyone that's asleep won't get hurt." I said.

I saw the frown of anger cross Fullmetal's face and he stood up. He seemed pretty defiant about what I said and I knew something was going to come out of his mouth seconds before it did.

"First of all, you'll have to answer something's for me, kid." My eyes glowed in my own anger at that. He was about to say some more when I kicked him in the stomach pretty hard.

"I maybe younger than you but I can take someone three times your size to the ground in a single blow. Don't forget that and never call me a kid again." I growled.

Fullmetal recovered from the blow and he glared at me until he noticed a teenage boy running towards us. I heard the boy so I knew he was pretty close. When he was within range of being kicked, that was exactly what I did.

The Elric's stared in shock as my eyes held not-so-hidden fury in them. One of the oldest boys got up and began waking my team up as I lowered my foot.

"Of all the chances they chose to strike now," I growled before looking at the brothers. "Get out of here or I'll make you." I threatened, even though I didn't mean what I was saying.

Alphonse looked at his brother as my group rushed over to me. One of them tossed me a small short-sword and I never looked away from the two brothers, even when Alphonse tried to tell me something.

"Get out of here you stupid boys!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I am not letting a State Alchemist save my ass when I can do it all by myself!"

The scream had caught both boys by surprise so I made my move. I took one angry step towards them when pain entered my body from my left side. My body moved on instincts before I fully grasped what was going on. I swung my sword hand at whoever hit me, but they had already gotten away.

I knew who had hit me the second I saw the girl's ebony black hair covering her face before her hazel eyes pierced my violet ones. The grin on her face was even more satanic than mine had been, and that alone made me shiver. But it wasn't from excitement. I was truly worried for my life.

"Have you become so wrapped up in your own leadership that you forgot about me? How sad." I frowned at her taunting voice before the blood seeped through my clothes.

"Are you okay, Kesenai?" A boy asked me.

"Get them out of here." I demanded and two girls ran over to the Elric brothers to lead them away.

"Hey! Wait a minute, Kesenai!" I blinked in mock surprise at the alchemist before smirking.

"Don't think I forgot our little deal, Fullmetal," I reached into my pocket and threw the watch at him. "There, you got your pocket watch back. Now leave!"

I didn't bother to look at them again as I rubbed my free hand on my shirt. In the back of my mind I knew what was happening. I knew ever since Karu and the others left and assembled The Lever. I knew that this day would come.

The last day I may live.

And that was enough to make me want to go all out on Karu, who stood before me with an unwavering smirk on her face.

"My last fight shall be today when I cut your head off of your throat, Kesenai!" Karu screeched before she ran at me with an impossible speed to match.

I only smirked and stopped rubbing my hand before touching the sword I still held. She was about to run me through when I took a step out of the way with what seemed like ease. As Karu was caught by surprise, my hair turned into that lightning yellow color. Adrenaline from my fear rushed through me as she looked at me with that same surprised look on her face.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on dying by your hands." I said to her before attacking the leader with the sword that sparkled and shined with lightning.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

I could hear people screaming my name as tiny droplets fell on my face. My eyes slowly opened to see a dark grey sky above me, along with the faces of Alphonse, his brother, and my team. A few eyes beamed at the sight of my waking, but I felt so dizzy that it was a struggle to turn my head.

I managed to do so anyway, but I wish I never had. I wish that my body had been paralyzed. I wish that no one had let me turn my head because what I saw made my body shake to the very core:

My right arm from my shoulder down was gone, not even the bone was there.

I couldn't breathe when I saw that, and I struggled to remember what had happened to me. But the memory was like trying to find the right clam that held the pearl. I finally gave up trying to remember what happened and tears began to sting the corner of my eyes. They soon filled my eyes as I choked out some words.

"What…happened?" I whispered and I never looked away from the arm that should have been there.

"Karu sliced it off before you stuck her with that lightning sword of yours." Someone said to me.

"Oh…" My body was starting to numb up as I felt warm tears run down my face.

The pain was getting to me as I sat up, surprising everyone. I winced at the sensation because it was hard to move without another arm to support me. I bit back a sob in my throat and blinked my eyes a few times. Not only was I in pain, but I was sad. So sad that it hurt as well. It was because my right arm was gone and with it, my lightning alchemy. Someone ran off as I looked at my bloody sword vacantly.

"Kesenai…" Alphonse whispered to me.

"She took my arm to destroy me…She took my alchemy with it…Damn it all, I should have been more careful." I growled.

"You would have lost your arm anyway. She had two swords on her." I heard and my teeth gritted tightly together.

My tear-stained eyes looked up at the two teenagers who were in my group. They knew what I wanted and they gently picked me up by the single arm, while the other put a thick clothe on the bloody stump.

"I'll never be able to use alchemy ever again," I told the Elric brothers with fear in my eyes. "You don't know how saddening that is for me." I felt what was holding me back from blacking out beginning to force itself out of me. I bit my lip tightly until it began to bleed.

"It-It's not…f-fair…" I managed to say and my hand clenched itself into a fist. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" I screamed my lungs out after that.

It bounced off of the walls around us. Everyone, even me, was surprised by the outburst. When the scream faded into nonexistence, I was already blacking out like a candle.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

"That really happened to you, Kesenai?" I heard.

My eyes opened themselves to see the blue sky above me before I sat up with a fake smile. My violet eyes stared at the Ishvalan child in front of me with so much emptiness in them you'd think I was dead.

"Yes. Though it had been three years ago, I still feel the pain in my shoulder. And I don't really remember what really happened to me still." I then stood on my feet when I noticed a dark blonde-haired boy coming over to us.

"If the Elric brothers hadn't taken me to a mechanic after that, I would have died," the boy saw me and raised a gloved hand to wave at me. "But they did and Al promised me I'd be able to use my alchemy again."

The child stared at me in confusion as I raised my right arm to wave at the boy as well. He smirked before running towards me and the kid tugged my hand.

"Well? Can you then?" He asked me and I smiled a little, this time it was real.

"I'm too afraid to try anymore. But I dud the first chance I got and I almost hurt someone it worked so well." I told the child before the teenager clothed in a red rove came over to us.

"I didn't expect you to show up here, Al. Still looking for Edward?" I asked.

I knew that the boy probably didn't remember me as his chocolate brown eyes gazed into my violet ones, scouring my face for something that I didn't know. But I could remember all of it. Back to Liore, when we met Father Cornello. Back to every little trip we went on when I was still learning how to regain my alchemic abilities once again. And even back to when Edward went through the gate to bring Alphonse back into his body.

"Y-Yeah…Of course I am." He said and my lips formed a sad pout.

"Do you remember me at all, Al?" I asked him.

He frowned at me and I knew from that look that he knew me a little before he said, "You're Kesenai, a State Alchemist that was as strong as my brother. You're also the thirteen year old Winry fixed up."

My heart dropped to my stomach at that last sentence. Alphonse remembered how he met me…that was better than nothing, right? For some, it might be. But I wasn't one of those people from that category.

"If…you remember that…then do you remember the promise you told me three years ago?" I knew that he wouldn't remember that hidden promise from the confused look on his face. My hopes that had been raised were shattered like a rock hitting a window because I had secretly been praying that he remembered it. But you can't have everything you want, or else all humans would be spoiled to the core.

My hopes were crushed even more as he shook his head in a no. Tears stung the corners of my eyes and I could feel them beginning to redden. If Alphonse ever noticed, he didn't let it show as joy came across his face.

"I may not remember that, but I do know something that you'll love." I stared at him in confusion as he gently took my real hand in his.

The Ishvalan child stared at us in confusion as well. Alphonse led me away from him with a jovial smile on his face from the happiness he was feeling. I said nothing to either one of them as my lungs filled themselves with air. I slowly released it and did the same process for a few more seconds as Alphonse led me away slightly faster.

_Do you remember, ever since we were little,_

_There was that doorway we couldn't reach,_

_Even standing on tiptoe?_

_We roamed around until we were spent,_

_Forgetting about time, and in the end,_

_We always ran into mazes there,_

Alphonse began blushing from the sound of my voice and he stopped walking to turn and face me.

"I haven't heard that song before. It's nice." He complimented me.

I nodded my thanks to him as he continued pulling me to whatever destination he wanted me to do. My voice filled the midday air with a grace and loudness only singers at a concert could conduct.

_I can't stop looking for your smile_

_Before I realize what I'm doing._

_Not a single thing has changed,_

_And even now,_

_I'm still running forward,_

_Even if we are separated by a great distance,_

_There is still…_

_A link between our hearts._

_And even if some perverse fate were to befall us,_

_That will not be broken._

_I hope that someday,_

_This world reborn will reach your eyes._

We stopped walking and I looked at the teenager with a face that asked him what the heck he was doing. Alphonse only smirked jovially again and pulled out a thin piece of cloth.

"Will you put this on for a second, Kesenai? I want to make sure that it's ready." He requested of me, which made me wonder just what it was that he was going to show me.

"Sure, just don't think about leaving me here for long." I said and the cloth was put around my eyes by a very excited Alphonse. It was like we were back in grade school and he was giving me a friendly present!

Little did I know that he desperately wanted to spend his last day here in Central with me. I did know that he was still searching for Edward; but it was nothing compared to what he was truly thinking. My ears heard Alphonse take off around the corner and I could hear him muttering franticly to himself. What he was muttering I couldn't tell you, I could just hear his voice.

I waited as he had told me and I let my ears reach out to different sounds that caught my attention. Strangely enough, all I could focus on was a certain thirteen year olds laughter. It sounded like any others laugh to other people. To me, for some reason, his laugh made my heart jump and my blood run even faster.

I didn't think much about it because my heart and blood always did this when I was around Alphonse. Or even if I heard him. Or thought about him. I heard Alphonse run back towards me and my head turned towards him with a smirk. He grinned back at me and took my hand once again without a word. Even though he was breathing hard and had tired legs, he took me to wherever it was as my heart began to pound viciously.

"Okay, you can take the blindfold off, Kesenai." Alphonse said as we came to a stop. I did as he said, even when I heard little yelps and growls coming from my feet. I glanced down and stared in shock at what was before me, bouncing and clawing at my pants:

A gray puppy that had a black lightning bolt on its forehead and baby blue eyes.

"You got me a puppy?" I lowered myself onto my knees and the pup wagged its tail excitedly at me.

"I found him on the streets yesterday and thought you'd like him." Alphonse said.

I stared up at him with a child's grin before picking up the pup in my arms. He licked my cheek a few times and I had to giggle from the rough, sandy feeling. I then turned to the alchemist with that grin still on my face.

"He's so cute, Al! If I wasn't holding him, I'd give you a kiss!" I told him and I saw the blush on his face beginning to grow. I never saw the hope in his eyes as he silently prayed that I would do just that.

I suddenly laughed at his face before I knew what I did. Alphonse stared at me with joy in his eyes as I scratched the pup's ear and it licked my nose once more. I had never felt so happy before and I knew it was because I had wanted a puppy more than anything. With the way I used to live, there was no way that I could afford it. I had been meaning to get a puppy for myself because of all the money I received for being a State Alchemist but I never got around to it. Alphonse did all of that for me. When I noticed that he wasn't looking at me, I leaned into his face on my tiptoes.

My lips pressed against his soft cheek tenderly and that made Alphonse gasp a little. When I pulled back I saw the boy's face as red as a tomato and that made me laugh again.

"I'll go put him at my house so I'll see you later or tomorrow!" I told him before I walked away, cuddling the puppy the entire way. But if I had known what was going to happen very soon, I never would have left. I would have turned back around with the pup in my arms and kept by Alphonse all day to keep him from doing what happened next.

I would have done anything to keep him with me.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

I woke from the nap I had been taking as the ground under me trembled viciously. Something suddenly blew up close by and I flinched. I could hear Kuroi, my puppy, growling deeply at something I couldn't sense or see. My eyes snapped open and I got the door open in one fluid motion. I looked into the sky and saw these weird objects flying up there before someone screamed my name.

Kuroi turned his head when I did and I saw Alphonse with a teenager that had blonde hair tied in a ponytail like his before I saw the golden eyes staring back at me. Both stopped in front of me and I stared at the one who resembled Edward Elric so much it was terrifying. But I wasn't about to let that show.

Because I knew that this was the Edward Elric I had journeyed alongside.

"You need to stay inside, Kesenai. Something bad is happening." Alphonse told me, causing me to frown.

"And wait to get blown up? My ass I will. And the last time I checked, I'm older than you Alphonse. So don't start ordering me around!" I snapped.

Both boys flinched as I pulled out my sword in my right hand. I then walked out of my house and Kuroi stayed beside me, so I didn't bother to make him get inside.

"Whatever idiotic thing you two caused, I'll have to fix it." I chided them while putting on my single glove.

Edward frowned at me in a mocking way as Kuroi barked at all of us for attention. I knew that the pup was going to be safer with me than the house so I let him stay with us because I was afraid that my house would collapse on the dog. Worried excitement churned inside me like a fire as I took Alphonse's hand with my gloved one. I didn't notice the blush on his face as I looked at his brother, who was only a little shorter than me.

"Whatever that flying thing up there is, I saw where it was headed. You need me more than you know, idiots." I told them before running full speed to the north.

Finding the contraption was easy. But getting it to stop? That was going to be difficult, even for me. I let go of Alphonse and Kuroi stayed beside me, no matter how fast I was going. The two boys began to work their alchemy together where I left them and I grabbed the pup tightly before jumping sky high. I landed on a rooftop as the boys flew past me with what looked like a stone hard pillar.

"Jump on, Kesenai!" Edward said and I let the muscles in my legs tighten once again. I jumped into the air once more like an elastic rubber band and Kuroi said nothing.

Alphonse caught my hand tightly and I held Kuroi close to my chest, for fear that he was going to fall. After he hoisted me onto the pillar beside him and his brother, I put my gloved hand onto the rock pillar beside the two and they didn't seem to really notice. We flew through the air on the rock pillar and I soon saw a black mass come sailing at us. I was about to take my hand off of the pillar when red fire struck the mass dead on.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist and the Lightning Blade Alchemist are both here? This must be one of your doings." I heard as my eyes held confusion.

"Mustang! What the hell are you doing here?" Edward asked as we got to the top.

I jumped off the pillar with Kuroi still at my chest and the sword was back in my right hand. The pup jumped from my hand and ran into the ship, barking all the while. I followed him with no words and no one noticed me leaving.

It didn't take long for me to find the pup, but he was surrounded by armor that looked like Alphonse used to be in. Kuroi was puffed up and growling menacingly; though it sounded funny coming out of a tiny dog's mouth.

I said nothing as I swung my sword at one of the armor. Sparks of lightning leaped off of my sword and Kuroi ran over to hide behind my legs like a scared foal. The armor fell silently, despite their heavy forms. I heard Alphonse and his brother run up to me from behind as I sighed.

"Whatever is going on, it's in that room right here," I tapped the door with my blade before smirking greedily. "So let's cause a big, warm welcome." Kuroi barked excitedly and he was soon quiet when Edward went into the room alone.

I said nothing more as Alphonse used his alchemy to control the dead armor and I knew what was coming. I put my blade inside its scabbard behind my back before a females voice screamed at the armor to come inside. I didn't notice the armor Alphonse controlled walk into the room.

"You coming, Kesenai?" I heard Alphonse ask me.

"Oh, you bet." I grinned while walking over to him.

Kuroi stayed behind me as I saw a woman with dark creatures slowly consuming her body. Alphonse made sure that I stayed close to him as the armor surrounded the woman. I didn't really care because I didn't want to be noticed by the woman I didn't even know.

"Sorry to say this, but you're going back to your real home." Edward told her as she glared daggers at us.

"Not if I can't help it!" She suddenly screamed before a black sword was flying at Alphonse and me.

I glared slightly before swinging my sword out and lightning sparked from the blade. I felt the dark blade come in contact with mine and both of the Elric brothers called my name in shock. I didn't make a move as I threw the black sword away from me. No one noticed that I disappeared until they blinked a few times.

"Sorry, but you picked the wrong ones to mess with. You'll regret that very soon." I said while appearing behind the woman.

Before she or the brothers could do anything to stop me, I smacked her over the head with my hilt. She fell to the ground and I knew that I had only knocked her out, so I wasn't worried. Alphonse ran over to me with Edward and both of them looked me over to see if I was injured. I glanced at both of them when they realized I wasn't harmed in anyway.

"Kesenai, you okay?" Both asked me.

"That blade wouldn't have been able to hurt me in a million years," my hands reached down and I picked up Kuroi gently. "Now let's go see that old Flame Alchemist."

We walked outside with no words and I saw Roy standing on the rock stone we created. A grin fell on my face and I ran towards the famous Flame Alchemist. He barely noticed me as Edward stopped at the entrance of the ship. Alphonse stood beside me as Kuroi barked excitedly at the shrimp.

"We can all stay together now! I'm glad because Winry won't stop talking about you, Ed! She really misses you." I said out loud to everyone, but the last part was only a whisper that only I seemed to hear. I was hoping that what I was saying was true because all of us had truly missed the midget, despite everything we said.

But not all wishes could come true, I knew that fully well. Considering I was the bitter truth of that fact.

Alphonse began screaming at his brother and that was the first thing I heard before my head turned to see what was wrong. I saw the growing space between us and the flying ship. I stared in shock at Edward as his brother screamed out words I never heard. I knew what was happening and I struggled to breathe correctly through my mouth. Roy said my name softly as tears swelled up into my eyes. I never heard the man speak as I took a deep yet shaky breath.

_Far away…Far away…_

_Our dreams will never fade…_

I struggled to sing but it only came out as a hoarse whisper. The tears ran down my cheeks and Kuroi was the only one that noticed me crying since they were falling on him.

_If only…_

_The two of us…_

_Could go back…_

"You can't leave us here, Brother! We just got you back!" Alphonse screamed and I let my voice fade away in the wind. It didn't matter if anyone heard me or not because, if anyone did hear me, they weren't paying any attention to the crying girl. Edward ignored his brother and ran back into the ship.

We were silent for a few seconds until Alphonse suddenly said the one thing I wished would never happen to me: "I'm going after him!"

I looked at the boy with the tears still dripping off of my face and he glanced at me. It was the first time I ever cried like this for three years. The only other time that I had cried, was when my right arm was taken from me by force. That day felt so long ago in the back of my mind at the moment.

"Don't you leave me here, Al! I'll be so lonely…" I whispered through the tears while looking down, biting my lip lightly in the process.

Alphonse looked a little saddened and I felt one of his soft, warm hands brush over my wet cheek to wipe away the tears. His hand stayed where it was as I glanced back up at him with pleading eyes, wishing he wouldn't go. Wishing that he would stay with me.

"Sorry, but I can't let him get away from us this time." Alphonse told me. The second he let me go I took his hair in my hand tightly.

I did not want him to leave me…not after Edward just left once again.

"But I don't want-!" I almost didn't see what Alphonse did next until he had stopped moving all together. Time seemed to stop almost entirely for me because of what happened. Alphonse had turned around, grabbed my hand that had been holding his hair, and…I had the shock of my life:

Alphonse's lips touched mine.

It wasn't a passionate 'Hello, I'm your lover,' kind of kiss. Or a 'Will you be my partner?' kiss. This kiss right now…I knew that this kiss meant 'I love you but goodbye, Kesenai.' And it was so sad because I did know that it was meant to be read for that purpose.

I still gasped from the contact and shock as Roy said that Edward was getting away. The next thing I knew, Alphonse was jumping onto the ship while I fell to my knees without really knowing about it. Kuroi began barking at me and Roy stared down at my shocked body. I never noticed and my dog growled before pulling free of my arms. I was stunned when he jumped onto the ship as well and stared back at me, as if he was telling me to come get him.

"Are you going to let them get away like that?" Roy asked me. I sat there for a few seconds before I began to stand.

I looked at the Flame Alchemist with tears still in my now watery red eyes and he smirked at me, knowing that I was really angry. Kuroi was silent now and staring at me expectantly. He knew that I wanted to follow so that was the only reason my pup was silent.

"To hell with all of this. I'm going because I have nothing else here for me to do!" I yelled before jumping after my dog. He began wagging his tail as Roy chuckled with a shake of his head.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

"Stay quiet, Kuroi. Not yet." I whispered to my pup that was whimpering softly at me. He listened and I heard Alphonse talking to his brother before popping out of his armor with a loud clang.

"A-Al! You left Kesenai all by herself back home?" Edward screamed as I slowly got out of the armor I had been hiding in. The two boys began to argue with each other about leaving me when I let Kuroi go from my hands. He ran at them with loud, excited yips.

"And look! Kuroi followed us here! How will you ever give him back?" Edward roared.

"If you had stayed with us, then none of this would have happened, Brother!"

"And leave you to stay in that armor? I don't think so!"

I rolled my eyes at their stupid argument as the other people stared at them in confusion. They obviously didn't know what the Elric brothers were thinking, arguing about some girl that wasn't around. I found it funny but I didn't want to laugh because that would blow my cover. I was, though, about to walk into the light when Alphonse's voice shattered through my seemingly sound proof ears.

"I'd rather be stuck in armor and be with Kesenai if it meant not being able to see you!"

I felt my heart immediately stop pounding in that instant and Kuroi barked at both boys. I shouldn't have had much effect from that one sentence, but it was a shock that Alphonse would say that to Edward.

Alphonse…would rather be with me in that heavy armor of his…if it meant keeping his brother with us…Was what he had technically just said.

As the yelling continued and began to spiral out of control, I picked up a piece of metal and threw it with all the force I could use that wouldn't kill someone. It hit Edward in the back of his head only seconds before I walked out of the darkness when he turned towards me with a glare. But he couldn't see me, of course.

"I'd rather be dead than not be with either of you." I said to them, trying to keep my heart from pounding too loud. My hands found my hips and placed themselves there as I smirked nonchalantly.

"K-Kesenai! What are you-?"

"Saving you two from utter boredom. I couldn't let you guys have all the fun, now could I?" I teased while Kuroi raced towards me.

They stared at me in confusion as I picked the dog up and into my arms gently. I knew that it was going to be an exciting adventure together with the Elric brothers in this new world that I found myself in. How I knew that, I didn't really know.

I could just feel it deep in my bones.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

Kuroi was barking at me with no real interest as I let my legs rest on the floor while I sat down on the couch. We were just sitting around in Edward's house, waiting for the sun to rise. None of us would openly admit it but we knew that we didn't have any idea on where we were going; we just knew that all three of us would be together.

"Kesenai, how'd you come after us?" Alphonse, who was sitting beside me, asked.

"Jumped. Kuroi was running after you, so I followed." I replied. My heart was pounding because of the awkwardness between the two of us. He had kissed me before he left and I didn't know why. What I did know was that he remembered the journey we had together three years ago.

"…Do you remember the promise you made to me three years ago?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Which one? The promise between the two of us or the promise that everyone knows?" He asked me.

I looked up at him with a smirk as he continued to stare at me in confusion. But the two of us knew that he was lying to me at the moment. He knew which one that I was talking about just like I knew the back of my hand.

"The one between just the two of us." I told him as he stretched his arms lazily.

"That's a tough one…Let me think about it," he pretended to look a bit puzzled and I rolled my eyes while slapping his chest lightly.

"Yeah, that's funny Al. You can totally take your time." I teased and he laughed softly at me. I felt him grab my hand afterwards and I stared at him even more with curiosity rising in my eyes.

I felt heat beginning to rise on my face as if I was too close to a fire and Alphonse grinned childishly at me. He leaned towards me and his lips brushed past my own as he began to speak softly in my ear.

"I promised I'd never let anyone make you cry again," I felt his right hand curl into my hair as his eyes closed slowly.

"You sure kept that promise, Al." I teased because we both knew that wasn't true. He had made me cry when he left our home world together. But he just ignored me.

I began to say something else when he pulled back from my ear and kissed my barely open lips gently. My heart did a flip a few times before exploding as I sat on the couch, stunned out of my wits.

This was not another 'I love you but goodbye, Kesenai,' kiss. No…This kiss was something else. Something more. It was an 'I want you to know what I feel,' kiss.

Alphonse didn't notice my stiff body as he pulled away only a centimeter from my lips. He was breathing a little hard but not so much that you'd really notice and I was the same way. He searched my eyes deeply for something that I couldn't see and I knew that he was very happy.

"I promise that I'll never make you cry again, Kesenai." Alphonse told me as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

I felt my eyes widen in shock but I knew he was serious to me from the intense look of his eyes. Alphonse watched my face as tears began to sting my eyes as if I had ate a raw onion. He never noticed the tears in my eyes until they started falling onto my knees, making a few dark shapes where water met flesh. My shoulders began to shake furiously and I heard Alphonse stuttering things to me. He began to say he was sorry when I shook my head violently to make him stop.

"Y-You remembered the promise…that's all I wanted…" I choked out and I rubbed my eyes with my hands to dry my face.

Alphonse understood what I was saying and he nodded with a relieved smile. Time seemed to slow down to a halt once again as the tears began falling even harder. Alphonse skimmed my lips with his own before we heard Edward walk into the room. Both of us pulled away from the other and an equal blush could be seen a mile away was on both of our cheeks.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" Edward teased as he looked at us, knowing exactly what we had been doing.

"No…I was just getting ready for…for…bed!" I said, trying to make a good lie. Edward saw through it with a plain old smirk.

"Right…" He exaggerated.

I frowned but said nothing as I stood up and walked out of the room. As I passed Edward, we looked at each other with a smirk on both of our faces. Only his was excited and mine was a little threatening.

"You'll pay for that," I warned him. He knew that I was serious and I walked out of the room quickly before anything else was said.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

"…sittin' in a tree-"

"Stop it, Edward," I growled and he did stop, but only for a few seconds.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"You finish that sentence and I'll kill you." I said again and Edward smirked at me.

"G!"

He took off running when I screamed his name out in the streets in front of thousands of people. Kuroi barked as I ran after the little teenager. It had been at least one week since we had gone through the gate, but it already felt like years. Very slow years, in fact. I was almost within tackling distance when someone called my name. My feet stopped running immediately and I turned my head with a grin.

"Hello Gracia. Is Hughes treating you well?" I questioned the twenty-something year old woman.

"Why yes, he is. What about Alphonse? Is he kind to you?" She asked with a smile.

"Always. He's more of a gentleman than his shorter brother." I teased, knowing that Edward could hear me.

Gracia giggled as Kuroi ran over to be by my side. She saw something I didn't and she smiled at me. I turned my head and saw Alphonse waving vigorously at us from across the street. My heart raced excitedly as I waved back at him before turning to Gracia once again.

"I'll be seeing you sometime, Gracia!" I told her before running over to Alphonse with Kuroi at my heels.

"Ready to go?" He asked when I reached him. I nodded and he took my hand in his tightly. Kuroi walked beside us as I talked about this side of the gate to Alphonse. When I realized that he wasn't listening, I grinned and took a deep breath.

_Whoa, holding onto our overlapping dreams,_

_We move toward a paradise without end._

_No longer able even to find something to lose,_

_We have rundown this long road,_

_Without ever doubting a single thing._

Alphonse listened to me silently and I knew that he was entranced by my voice like he always had been. It caused me to smile.

_We'll say goodbye Lost Heaven._

_How we longed for Heaven._

_We're letting go of something we never had._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost._

People that we passed stopped their chatter to listen to the singing voice of mine.

_The dream we took hold of when we stretched out our hands,_

_Was a sand castle,_

_Quietly crumbling._

_I'm here standing motionless at a fork in the road._

_After you left your smile behind,_

_And disappeared toward that paradise you described,_

Alphonse was beginning to blush as we walked down a field of grass. We knew where we were going, but I was too wrapped up in my singing to really think about it.

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_How we longed for Heaven._

_We're letting go of something we never had._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost._

I heard someone calling us and my mouth closed, the incomplete song drifting away in the wind.

I turned my head as Alphonse did the same to see who it was that called us. We saw that it was Edward and the gypsy girl, Noah. I had a hard time remembering her name even though she continuously told me it. I guess I wasn't that fond of her since she was the one that had helped us come to this side of the gate. And I don't remember most people's names if I didn't like them.

"Ready to go? The funeral should be about to start." Edward told us.

I nodded and followed the two older teens with Alphonse dragging himself behind me. I knew that he didn't want to go because he didn't even know the boy that died. I didn't either; but I wanted to pay my respects to him because he had undoubtedly and unknowingly brought the three of us back together. This is why Alphonse was coming along, even though we knew he would have anyway. Besides paying my respects to the boy, there was someone else that had died bringing us together as well.

I didn't know her face or what she looked like, but I had a name. Edward told me that name on numerous occasions because, unlike Noah's, I didn't want to forget her name. But like I'd forget that girl's name.

And that name was…

Kesenai Tsumi.

"Here we are." I said and everyone nodded solemnly.

X

* * *

><p>X<p>

"K-I-S-S-"

"You finish that and I'll rip your head off using Kuroi." I threatened as the said dog barked at Edward.

We were waiting for a car to come by the road because a certain blonde midget had run our car into a ditch, again. The funeral had just ended an hour ago but we were already leaving Germany for now. Edward had changed his clothes during that hour and he had been teasing Alphonse about me. The same went for me.

He began to do that little song again when I looked at him. His mouth closed as I said, "Don't you make me do something bad to you in front of everyone and the road." He stayed silent after that.

We continued to wait in silence before I suddenly got bored. Squeezing Alphonse's hand, I took a deep breath to finish the song I had been singing before we got to the funeral.

_All those tiny stars won't come together as one,_

_And the bouquet of red flowers comes at the end of the show._

_And even if what I saw ahead of me as I started running…_

_Is a mirage._

The gypsy girl called to us and I knew we had a ride now. I took Edward's hand in my robotic one before running up to her. As we did, I softly sang more of the song.

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_Yeah!_

We got on the wagon after Edward asked if we could take a ride somewhere. Alphonse sat as close to me as he could without getting on my lap and the other two did the same. I leaned onto his shoulder while finishing the song.

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven._

_How we longed for Heaven._

_We're letting go of something we never had._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven!_

_We'll say goodbye, Lost Heaven. Yeah!_

_How we longed for Heaven. Yeah!_

_We're letting go of something we never had._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost._

_Time goes so fast, Heaven is lost._

My eyes began closing as my body began to sway to the rhythm to the unknown beat. The other gypsy girls and normal people listened to my voice and Alphonse grinned because he knew that I was enjoying myself.

_I wish you good luck…_

_I still remember every day…_

_I wish you good luck…_

_I still remember every day…_

I then opened my eyes and looked at Alphonse, who was still watching me with loving eyes. He knew what that part of the song meant and his grin grew wider. It caused a smile to appear on my face as well as Edward and Noah watched us.

"I wish you good luck too, Kesenai." He told me before he gave me a shy kiss on the lips.

I smirked and kissed him back, putting all my feelings into it. The shyness in the kiss soon went away as his hand that held mine began to tighten. Edward smirked at us as our kiss broke apart slowly, as if we were afraid that we'd lose each other again.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" I heard Edward say in a sing song voice. I barely noticed as Alphonse leaned into my ear to whisper something only he wanted me to know.

"Will you promise to always be by my side and love me?" He asked me. I began to blush and Edward watched in confusion, obviously not knowing about what his brother had asked me.

"Will you do the same?" I countered.

Alphonse grinned at me while nodding quickly. I smiled while squeezing his hand even tighter in a gentle but firm way. He watched as my eyes began to sparkle in a blissful way.

"Then yes, I will be by your side and love you forever." I told him.

Edward muttered something we didn't hear as Alphonse stared into my eyes deeply.

"I will do the same."

"Just don't make me cry again."

Alphonse nodded and the wagon continued to walk on. I stared into the sun with a more than jovial smile on my face because I was feeling so many different things at the moment. Excitement. Happiness. Nervousness. Love.

And wherever Edward and Alphonse were going to go, no matter how far or high, I promised myself to be right beside them all the way. I'd risk my life to keep beside my friend and my closest companion ever.

_I wish you good luck…I still remember every day…_


End file.
